02 Tacoma - brake light indicator problem

Hi there -

I'm new to the site and this is my first post. Need help with brake light indicator. When releasing the parking brake, the light in the instrument cluster remains on. I've checked the brake fluid under the hood, and everything looks fine. Any recommendations?

Thanks

 

Welcome to TW.
Your parking brake is mechanical. The brake fluid has nothing to do with it. Check the tension on the cable under the truck. It's adjustable. You may want to lube the cable. The bell cranks may be frozen. Or, the rear brakes may just need adjusted. There are a number of possibillities Before you try any of this, try jiggling the handle a little bit first.

 

IIRC, there's a sensor right behind the handle when the e-brake is off. It should be on the other side of the handle.

 

common problem, start truck> take parking brake off > wait till light stays on > then push the parking brake farther IN if light goes off when pushed in then its the switch on the floor, release brake if light comes back on its definately the switch.. I never got rid of the problem so i just taped the switch in a close loop (taped the button down) and no more annoying light..

 

thanks for the advice, but I think I'm still at a loss/ confused. Here's what I found out via the 02 factory service manual:

1. The "Body Electrical - Troubleshooting" section explains that a problem with the brake warning light can be linked to "suspected areas" such as the brake fluid level warning switch, parking brake switch and/ or meter circuit.

Now I don't have an OBD scanning tool and don't have a good/ trustworthy mechanic. Taking my truck to the dealer is last resort, because I'd rather not be swindled out of a couple hundred dollars for a cheap DIY fix.

Any workarounds or step-by-step help is greatly appreciated. Besides the brake light being annoying, I'm concerned that this issue with the "switch" (or whatever) may lead to other problems, etc. and pose a risk.

Thanks

 

having same issue on 2004 Taco...parking brake light stays on!!! Underside looks good and switch is being depressed. Will check fluid today. Anyone ehave fix????

 

Not sure how to fix it but on the bar that the handle is connected to is a little piece of metal that pushes a switch in when the parking brake is released. This is where your problem lies